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Macrophages are a promising target for drug delivery to influence macrophage-associated processes in the body, namely due to the presence of resistant microorganisms in macrophages. In this work, a series of mannosylated carriers based on mannan, polyethylenimine (PEI) and cyclodextrin (CD) was synthesized. The molecular architecture was studied using FTIR and 1H NMR spectroscopy. The particle size, from small 10–50 nm to large 500 nm, depending on the type of carrier, is potentially applicable for the creation of various medicinal forms: intravenous, oral and inhalation. Non-specific capture by cells with a simultaneous increase in selectivity to CD206+ macrophages was achieved. ConA was used as a model mannose receptor, binding galactosylated (CD206 non-specific) carriers with constants of the order of 104 M−1 and mannosylated conjugates of 106–107 M−1. The results of such primary "ConA-screening" of ligands are in a good agreement in terms of the comparative effectiveness of the interaction of ligands with the CD206+ macrophages: non-specific (up to 10%) absorption of highly charged and small particles; weakly specific uptake of galactosylated polymers (up to 50%); and high affine capture (more than 70–80%) of the ligands with grafted trimannoside was demonstrated using the cytometry method. Double and multi-complexes of antibacterials (moxifloxacin with its adjuvants from the class of terpenoids) were proposed as enhanced forms against resistant pathogens. In vivo pharmacokinetic experiments have shown that polymeric carriers significantly improve the efficiency of the antibiotic: the half-life of moxifloxacin is increased by 2–3 times in conjugate-loaded forms, bio-distribution to the lungs in the first hours after administration of the drug is noticeably greater, and, after 4 h of observation, free moxifloxacin was practically removed from the lungs of rats. Although, in polymer systems, its content is significant—1.2 µg/g. Moreover, the importance of the covalent crosslinking carrier with mannose label was demonstrated. Thus, this paper describes experimental, scientifically based methods of targeted drug delivery to macrophages to create enhanced medicinal forms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grafting is an effective way to overcome the obstacles of continuous soil cropping and improve the tolerance of plants to abiotic and biotic stresses. An automatic grafting robot can effectively improve the grafting efficiency and survival rate of grafted seedlings, which is an important demand for the commercialization and promotion of vegetable planting. Based on the six main grafting technologies, this paper deeply summarized and analyzed the research status, technical characteristics, and development trends of vegetable grafting robots developed by various countries in the world. At the same time, it focused on the design methods and characteristics of key components such as seedling picking device, clamping device, and cutting device of vegetable grafting robots in detail. Then, the application of machine vision in the grafting robot was compared from the aspects of seed information feature recognition, automatic seedling classification, seedling state detection, and auxiliary grafting. It also was pointed out that machine vision technology was the only way to realize the fully automated grafting of vegetable grafting robots. Finally, several constraints, such as the limited grafting speed of vegetable grafting robots were pointed out, and the future development direction of grafting robots was predicted. As a result, it is believed that the intelligence degree of vegetable grafting robots needs to be improved, and its research and development fail to integrate with the seedling biotechnology, which leads to its poor universality. In the future, improving machine vision, artificial intelligence, and automation technology will help the development of high-performance universal grafting robots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grafted vegetable seedlings have been used from the early 20th century. This technique has been utilized extensively in East Asia and the European countries where it has developed as a multimillion-dollar industry. The increase in land area under protected cultivation, intensive use of land, scarcity of production resources and changing climate leading to unpredictable weather has caused a rapid increase in the use of grafted vegetables. However, in Nepal, where the productivity of vegetable crops is quite low and the breeding activities are inadequate, use of grafted vegetables is still unexploited. Therefore, this technique can be an important intervention to improve the overall production system of Solanaceous and Cucurbitaceous vegetables. Methods of vegetable grafting, their current uses, research carried out in Nepal and the possible opportunities are discussed in this review paper. Cleft, splice, tongue approach, hole-insertion and pin grafting are the methods currently in use. Grafting can be used to overcome the problems caused by various soil borne disease and nematodes and abiotic stresses like, low and high temperature stress, water stress, salinity, metal and organic pollutants while increasing the yield and extending crop duration in vegetable production. In Nepal, few research have been carried out on vegetable grafting with majority of them on assessment of tolerance to soil borne diseases. Utilization of this technique in Nepalese conditions provide ample opportunities for researchers and academicians to conduct researches and for breeding companies to develop resistant rootstocks. By implementing this method, vegetable industry can improve the overall yield, its quality and reduce hindrances in production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To alleviate the effects of increasingly severe environmental conditions and meet the increasing demand for organic agricultural products, this paper studied tomato grafting under low nitrogen conditions in an effort to enhance yield and improve fruit quality by enhancing nitrogen metabolism. In this study, we screened for two tomato genotypes, a high nitrogen use efficiency genotype ('TMS-150') and a low nitrogen use efficiency genotype ('0301111'), using rootstocks from 25 tomato genotypes and studied the effects of tomato grafting on plant yield, fruit quality, nitrogen content, activities of key nitrogen metabolism enzymes, and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) under different nitrogen fertilizer conditions. The results showed that the yield of the tomato plants, the activities of key enzymes during nitrogen metabolism, the contents of different forms of nitrogen, and the efficiency of nitrogen use were lower at low nitrogen fertilization levels and higher at higher nitrogen fertilization levels, while the measured indicators were the highest under the N40 nitrogen fertilizer treatment. Grafting tomatoes with high-NUE tomato seedlings as the rootstock resulted in significant increases in the nitrogen content and the activity of key enzymes, enhanced the NUE of tomato plants, increased tomato yield, and improved fruit quality compared to those of the seedlings grafted with low-NUE rootstock. Our results indicate that tomato plants grafted with high-NUE rootstock presented enhanced absorption and utilization of nitrogen and increased plant yield by promoting nitrogen metabolism at different nitrogen levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Commission requested the EFSA Panel on Plant Health to conduct a pest categorisation of Ceroplastes rubens Maskell (Hemiptera: Coccidae), following the commodity risk assessments of Acer palmatum plants grafted on A. davidii and Pinus parviflora bonsai plants grafted on P. thunbergii from China, in which C. rubens was identified as a pest of possible concern to the European Union (EU). The pest, which is commonly known as the pink, red or ruby wax scale, originates in Africa and is highly polyphagous attacking plants from more than 193 genera in 84 families. It has been present in Germany since 2010 in a single tropical glasshouse. It is known to attack primarily tropical and subtropical plants, but also other host plants commonly found in the EU, such as Malus sylvestris, Prunus spp., Pyrus spp. and ornamentals. It is considered an important pest of Citrus spp. The pink wax scale reproduces mainly parthenogenetically, and it has one or two generations per year. Fecundity ranges from 5 to 1178 eggs. Crawlers settle usually on young twigs and later stages are sessile. All life stages of C. rubens egest honeydew on which sooty mould grows. Host availability and climate suitability suggest that parts of the EU would be suitable for establishment. Plants for planting and cut branches provide the main pathways for entry. Crawlers could spread over short distances naturally through wind, animals, humans or machinery. C. rubens could be dispersed more rapidly and over long distances via infested plants for planting for trade. The introduction of C. rubens into the EU could lead to outbreaks causing damage to orchards, amenity ornamental trees and shrubs. Phytosanitary measures are available to inhibit the entry and spread of this species. C. rubens satisfies the criteria that are within the remit of EFSA to assess for it to be regarded as a potential Union quarantine pest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cucumber is a vegetable crop of economic importance in Mexico. In 2023, fresh or frozen cucumber and pickle international sales reached USD 783M, placing Mexico in second rank among countries with the highest currency inflow in the world. This crop is mostly grown under protected environments with new production technologies, including rootstocks that are tolerant to biotic and abiotic factors that limit the yield and quality of the harvest. Therefore, the goal of this work was to assess three cucurbits as rootstocks (Cucurbita maxima, Cucurbita moschata and Citrullus lanatus), as well as studying the response of cucumber crop to the tested rootstocks. The following treatments were assessed: T1:PSP = cucumber Cv. Paraizo F1 without rootstock; T2:P/MA = cucumber grafted over Cucurbita maxima; T3:P/MO = cucumber grafted over Cucurbita moschata; T4:P/CL = cucumber grafted over Citrullus lanatus Citroides Var. The assessed variables included the number of fruits per plant (NFPP), fruit weight per plant (PFPP), average fruit weight (PPF), plant dry weight (PSP), xylem vessel area (AVX), number of xylem vessels (NVX), vascular bundle area (AHV) and number of vascular bundles (NHV) in roots (R), basal stalk (TB) and apical stalk (AT). Significant differences among treatments were found in the results for variables: NFPP, highlighting that T2:P/MA was superior by 46.15% versus T1:PSP and by 67.69% versus T3:P/MO. Regarding PFPP, T2:P/MA achieved the highest weight (5445 g), as it proved superior by 99.45% than the cucumber without rootstock (T1:PSP). Regarding PSP, T2:P/MA achieved the highest weight (196.65 g), significantly exceeding T1 by 137.5%. Regarding AVXR, T4:P/CL had the highest value (30,063 µm2). Regarding NHVR, watermelon had (T4:P/CL) 39.33% more vascular bundles than the root system of cucumber (T1:PSP). Treatments T2:P/MA and T4:P/CL had the highest values at AVXTB, while for variable NVXTB, treatments T3:P/MO and T2:P/MA were almost equal, surpassing non-grafted cucumber by 175.47%. However, T2:P/MA showed the greatest AHVTB, and T1:PSP was significantly superior to T3:P/MO, by 34.93%, for NHVTB. Furthermore, positive and significant correlations were found among PFPP, AHVR, and AVXTB, as well as among PSP, AVXTB, and AHVTB. Therefore, we may say that having a larger area of vascular vessels in the roots and a larger area of xylem vessels in the basal stalk leads to higher fruit yields per plant. In the same vein, the use of rootstocks is a sustainable alternative to increase fruit yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change-induced hazards, such as drought, threaten forest resilience, particularly in vulnerable regions such as the Mediterranean Basin. Maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Aiton), a model species in Western Europe, plays a crucial role in the Mediterranean forest due to its genetic diversity and ecological plasticity. This study characterizes transcriptional profiles of scion and rootstock stems of four P. pinaster graft combinations grown under well-watered conditions. Our grafting scheme combined drought-sensitive and drought-tolerant genotypes for scions (GAL1056: drought-sensitive scion; and Oria6: drought-tolerant scion) and rootstocks (R1S: drought-sensitive rootstock; and R18T: drought-tolerant rootstock). Transcriptomic analysis revealed expression patterns shaped by genotype provenance and graft combination. The accumulation of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) encoding proteins, involved in defense mechanisms and pathogen recognition, was higher in drought-sensitive scion stems and also increased when grafted onto drought-sensitive rootstocks. DEGs involved in drought tolerance mechanisms were identified in drought-tolerant genotypes as well as in drought-sensitive scions grafted onto drought-tolerant rootstocks, suggesting their establishment prior to drought. These mechanisms were associated with ABA metabolism and signaling. They were also involved in the activation of the ROS-scavenging pathways, which included the regulation of flavonoid and terpenoid metabolisms. Our results reveal DEGs potentially associated with the conifer response to drought and point out differences in drought tolerance strategies. These findings suggest genetic trade-offs between pine growth and defense, which could be relevant in selecting more drought-tolerant Pinus pinaster trees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To overcome the scarcity of fresh water, researchers have turned to investigating different techniques that enable using saline water to irrigate crops, aiming to increase the efficiency of using available water resources. A glasshouse experiment was conducted to investigate the yield responses of grafted and non-grafted (self-rooted) tomato plants grown hydroponically under three levels of water salinity (2.5, 6.0, and 9.5 dS m−1). Three tomato varieties (Ghandowra-F1, Forester-F1, and Feisty-Red) were grafted onto five rootstocks (Maxifort, Unifort, Dynafort, Vivifort, and Beaufort). The implemented treatments were studied in terms of tomato fruit yield and quality parameters. Although increasing the concentration of salts in the nutrient solution led to a decrease in fruit yield, the moderate salinity level (S-2: 6.0 dS m−1) showed its superiority over both low salinity (S-1: 2.5 dS m−1) and high salinity (S-3: 9.5 dS m−1) in terms of tomato yield parameters. The studied rootstocks did not significantly improve the tomato fruit yield, but the interaction between the grafting combinations and salinity was significant for both production and quality. More specifically, tomato plants grafted onto the rootstocks "Vivifort and Beaufort" rendered the highest yield at a low salinity level (S-1: 2.5 dS m−1) and a moderate salinity level (S-2: 6.0 dS m−1), respectively, while at high salinity (S-3: 9.5 dS m−1), grafting did not improve tomato productivity, irrespective of the rootstock. These results confirm that tomatoes can be successfully grown under hydroponic systems using salinity levels of up to 6.0 dS m−1 without sacrificing fruit yield and quality. Among the studied tomato varieties, Feisty-Red was found to be appropriate for hydroponic production. The results also demonstrated that Vivifort and Beaufort rootstocks are suitable for grafting hydroponic tomatoes under low and moderate salinity levels, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Heterologous grafting has been proven to be a valid approach to improving potato fertility, especially when grafting potatoes with other Solanaceae family plants. However, the mechanisms underlying graftinginduced improvement in potato fertility are still unknown. Methods: In this study, a poor-fertility potato cultivar "Qingshu No. 9" (Q9) was grafted with a tomato cultivar "Zhongyan988" (ZY988) to study the effects of heterologous grafting in the former. The tuber yield was controlled by different grafting and cultivation approaches, and the correlation between tuber yield and pollen vigor was studied. Comparative transcriptomic analysis of the potential mechanisms of pollen in potato scion fertility changes. Result: Grafting with the tomato rootstock effectively promoted the flower and fruit formation in the scion potato and improved its pollen viability by 15%-20%. In addition, a significant negative correlation was observed between the potato tuber yield and pollen viability, suggesting a potential impact on the metabolic regulatory network related to tuber formation. From the comparative transcriptomic analysis between the pollens from Q9 self-grafted plants and Q9-tomato grafting scion, 513 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. These DEGs were found to be related to gametophyte and pollen development, carbohydrate metabolism, and protein processing. Thus, these DEGs might be involved in improved fertility after reduced tuberization in plants subjected to heterologous grafting. Discussion: Potato/tomato heterologous grafting significantly improved the pollen viability of scion potatoes and was associated with the absence of potato tubers. Heterologous grafting promotes the transcription of genes related to protein processing, carbohydrate metabolism, and pollen development in pollen cells, resulting in the production of fertile pollen. Our results provided initial clues to understanding the improvement of potato fertility using the heterologous grafting method, which might be a useful tool in assisted potato breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a two-phase experiment during 2018 and 2021, we evaluated the propagation success of avocado against three types of grafting (cleft, veneer, and splice) and two budding techniques (T and patch) practiced in the 3rd week of February, April, June, August, October, and December, considering the atmosphere of the six seasons (spring, summer, rain, autumn, late autumn, and winter, respectively) in Bangladesh. Cleft grafting was suitable during spring, demonstrating statistical superiority by exhibiting earlier bud sprouting (25.58 days) and better sapling qualities (16.27 cm scion growth and 14.57 leaves sapling-1). It produced a maximum number of transplantable propagules after ten months of grafting compared to all other combinations. However, commercial multiplications could not be satisfied with only a 48.00% success rate at the best combination. A post-grafting etiolation was therefore applied to the spring season's cleft grafts. Out of 72-hour, 120-hour, 168-hour, and 216-hour etiolation and control (non-etiolation), etiolation up to 120-hour significantly augmented the success rate compared to the control treatment. The 216-hour etiolation treatment failed to produce any successful grafts. The earliest bud sprouting (21.37 days) with maximum bud sprouts (86.00%), transplantable grafts (78.67%), and superior quality grafts was obtained from the 120-hour etiolation compared to the other treatments, while the control treatment produced only 49.33% transplantable grafts. Thus, the 120-hour etiolation made 59.46% more transplants than the non-etiolation treatment. T-budding in winter was the worst technique and time for avocado grafting. Veneer grafting and the autumn season were the second-best options. Therefore, post-grafting treatment appeared best for avocado vegetative propagation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the yield and quality of grafted seedlings of Pinus koraiensis, and reveal the effect of intergeneric grafting with high branch, multiple heads and different age on trees growth and fruiting of Pinus koraiensis, this paper used the standard ground method and the time-space substitution method to study the high branch, multiple heads and different age Larix gmelinii on the same stock and different stock in 2008, and the tree growth and fruiting of intergeneric grafting Larix gmelinii in the return the grain plots to forestry of mountain area and plain land were investigated respectively. The results showed that: (1) in different sites, the breast height (DBH), tree height and height under living branch of intergeneric grafting with high branch, multiple heads and different age Larix gmelinii in the return the grain plots to forestry of mountain area was higher that that of plain land. However the yield of return the grain plots to forestry of plain land was higher than that of mountain area. The fruiting characteristics of the plain land were both big fruit and continuous year fruit type, the fruiting characteristics of the mountain area was continuous year fruit type. (2) The difference of DBH, tree height, crown width and thickness of fruiting layer between the same and different stock grafting reached significant level (P<0.05), and the number of seed set reached a very significant level (P<0.001), indicating that the growth characteristics of the different rootstocks were fast at the initial stage. (3) The survival rate of high branch and multi head grafting was high, the early fruiting was very good and the grafting affinity was good. The survival rate was higher by using the methods of high branch, multi head and multi age grafting. After grafting for 6-8 years, the trees began to bear fruit. High branch multi head intergeneric grafting can promote early bearing and multi bearing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Citrus is one of the most important group of plants in agriculture because of impact on human health, industry, and environment. Commercially, citrus plants are propagated by grafting to perpetuate plant characteristics and guarantee uniformity at harvest. Mini grafting is a variation of the conventional grafting to increase efficacy during plant citrus plant propagation. To analyze the effect of mini grafting type, as well as the kind of recipient, mini grafted plants, using T-inverted and cleft methods transplanted in tubes or plastic bags, were planted in the field with three replicates per treatment and distributed with a complete randomized design. For four months, the data for plant heigh, number of branches, canopy diameter, canopy perimeter, diameter of stem above the grafting and diameter of the stem below the grafting were recorded and analyzed with an analysis of variance (α = 0.05) and means separated with a Tukey test (α = 0.05). The results evidenced that grafting type statistically affected canopy diameter, canopy perimeter and diameter of the stem below the grafting, while the kind of recipient additionally affected plant heigh, number of branches, and diameter below the grafting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Citrus is one of the most important group of plants in agriculture because of impact on human health, industry, and environment. Commercially, citrus plants are propagated by grafting to perpetuate plant characteristics and guarantee uniformity at harvest. Mini grafting is a variation of the conventional grafting to increase efficacy during plant citrus plant propagation. To analyze the effect of mini grafting type, as well as the kind of recipient, mini grafted plants, using T-inverted and cleft methods transplanted in tubes or plastic bags, were planted in the field with three replicates per treatment and distributed with a complete randomized design. For four months, the data for plant heigh, number of branches, canopy diameter, canopy perimeter, diameter of stem above the grafting and diameter of the stem below the grafting were recorded and analyzed with an analysis of variance (α = 0.05) and means separated with a Tukey test (α = 0.05). The results evidenced that grafting type statistically affected canopy diameter, canopy perimeter and diameter of the stem below the grafting, while the kind of recipient additionally affected plant heigh, number of branches, and diameter below the grafting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Styrax, the balsam refined from the trunk of Liquidambar orientalis Mill. has a variety of applications in the perfumery and medical industry, especially for use in traditional Chinese medicine. However, the resources of styrax are in shortage due to being endangered of this plant. Grafting can improve the adaptability of plants to unfavorable environmental conditions. We tried to graft the L. orientalis Mill. on L. formosana Hance which was widely distributed in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces of China in an attempt to obtain styrax from grafted L. orientalis Mill. (grafted styrax, SG). Whether SG can become an alternative application of commercially available styrax (SC) need be further investigated. The components of SG were analyzed by GC-MS, and the results showed that the chromatograms of SG, SC, and styrax standard (SS) were consistent. The ration of 12 major chemical components based peak area in SG, SC, and SS were 93.95%, 94.24%, and 95.86% respectively. The assessment of toxicity, antithrombotic activity, and myocardial infarction protection of SG and SC was evaluated by using the zebrafish model, the results showed that SG and SC have the similar toxicological properties as evidenced by acute toxicity test, developmental toxicity and teratogenicity, and long-term toxicity test. Both SG and SC significantly decreased the thrombosis and increased blood flow velocity of zebrafish induced by adrenaline hydrochloride, inhibited myocardial apoptosis, myocardial infarction and myocardial inflammation in zebrafish induced by isoproterenol hydrochloride. Moreover, SG had an obvious improvement effect on cardiac output, while SC has no effect. Collectively, SG is similar to SC in chemical composition, toxicological properties, antithrombotic activity, and myocardial infarction protection effects, and may be used as a substitute for styrax to reduce the collection for wild L. orientalis Mill. and increase the available styrax resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 3-year-old male with X-linked lymphoproliferative syndrome type 1 underwent an unrelated umbilical cord blood transplant (UUCBT). The week prior to transplant the patient tested positive for adenovirus (HAdV) with a viral load of <190 copies/mL and was started on cidofovir. UUCBT proceeded as scheduled, and the patient engrafted on day +19. The patient's HAdV load in serum continued to rise with resulting hepatic dysfunction, despite ongoing therapy with cidofovir and HAdV specific T-cell infusions. The patient died 6 months after transplantation having never cleared the virus. Next generation whole genome sequencing and sequence data analyses identified an intertypic recombinant HAdV-C P1H2F2 closely related (99.6% similarity) to genotype C108 in the isolates from three blood specimens obtained during the last week of life. Incidentally, the de novo assembly strategy enabled the detection of an adeno-associated virus type 2 (AAV2) genome in the DNA purified from the plasma isolates. Proteotyping analysis revealed minor differences in the predicted amino acid sequences for E1A, E1B 19K, E1B 55K, DNA polymerase, penton base, and fiber. None of the mutations previously described for HAdV-C5 variants resistant to cidofovir were identified. In silico restriction enzyme analysis revealed a distinct Sac I profile for the identified virus, supporting its designation as a C108 variant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Spain, almost all pistachios are grown under water-stress conditions. Pistachio plants have sophisticated mechanisms to avoid or tolerate stress. It is known that the rootstock affects responses to water stress in the cultivar grafted onto it. The traditional belief is that Pistacia terebinthus L. is the rootstock best adapted to rainfed conditions. This study examined the effect of rootstock on stress traits, photosynthetic rate, transpiration, stomatal conductance, chlorophyll, polyphenol concentrations, and growth in plants of Pistacia vera L. cv. Kerman grafted onto P. terebinthus, P. atlantica, and UCB-1. These responses were classified into constituent traits and characteristics of the plant's adaptation to water stress. The latter was induced by adding PEG 6000 to the nutrient solution. Plants grafted onto P. terebinthus showed more constituent traits, while plants grafted onto UCB-1 showed a greater number of drought-responsive traits. Plants grafted onto P. atlantica showed similar adaptative traits to those observed in UCB-1 but lower values of transpiration and net photosynthesis. Although it is likely that plants grafted onto P. terebinthus survive longer under extreme drought conditions, under moderate stress conditions, their yield is probably lower than that of plants grafted onto UCB-1 under the same moderate stress conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Wilt is a soil-borne disease caused by Fusarium that has become a serious threat to wax gourd production. Disease-resistant graft wax gourds are an effective treatment for Fusarium wilt. However, there are few reports on the defense mechanism of graft wax gourd against wilt diseases. Methods: In the present study, disease and growth indices were compared between grafted and original wax gourds after infection with Fusarium. High level of disease resistance was observed in the grafted wax gourd, with a lower disease index and low impacts on growth after infection. RNA-seq was performed to identify the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the adjacent treatment time points in the grafted and original wax gourds, respectively. Then a comparative temporal analysis was performed and a total of 1,190 genes were identified to show different gene expression patterns between the two wax gourd groups during Fusarium infection. Result and discussion: Here, high level of disease resistance was observed in the grafted wax gourd, with a lower disease index and low impacts on growth after infection. The DEG number was higher in grafted group than original group, and the enriched functional categories and pathways of DEGs were largely inconsistent between the two groups. These genes were enriched inmultiple pathways, of which the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway enhanced the early defense response, and cutin, suberin, and wax biosynthesis signaling pathways enhanced surface resistance in grafted wax gourd in comparison to original group. Our study provides insights into the gene regulatory mechanisms underlying the resistance of grafted wax gourds to Fusarium wilt infection, which will facilitate the breeding and production of wilt-resistant rootstocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grafting is widely used to enhance the phenotypic traits of tomatoes, alleviate biotic and abiotic stresses, and control soil-borne diseases of the scion in greenhouse production. There are many factors that affect the healing and acclimatization stages of seedlings after grafting. However, the role of light has rarely been studied. In this study, we compared the effects of artificial light and traditional shading (under shaded plastic-covered tunnels) on the recovery of grafted tomato seedlings. The results show that the grafted tomato seedlings recovered using artificial light had a higher healthy index, leaf chlorophyll content, shoot dry weight, and net photosynthetic rate (Pn) and water use efficiency (WUE) compared with grafted seedling recovered using the traditional shading method. Transcriptome analysis showed that the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of grafted seedlings restored using artificial light were mainly enriched in the pathways corresponding to plant hormone signal transduction. In addition, we measured the endogenous hormone content of grafted tomato seedlings. The results show that the contents of salicylic acid (SA) and kinetin (Kin) were significantly increased, and the contents of indoleacetic acid (IAA) and jasmonic acid (JA) were decreased in artificial-light-restored grafted tomato seedlings compared with those under shading treatments. Therefore, we suggest that artificial light affects the morphogenesis and photosynthetic efficiency of grafted tomato seedlings, and it can improve the performance of tomato seedlings during grafting recovery by regulating endogenous hormone levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nepal, a lower-middle-income country in South Asia, predominantly features smallholder farming communities operating on modest land holdings. These smallholders often adhere to traditional farming methods, relying on familial labor, which has become increasingly inefficient in contemporary agricultural landscapes. To enhance their productivity and efficiency, smallholder farmers require affordable and accessible Internet of Things (IoT)-based systems. However, the prevailing IoT solutions in the market primarily cater to large-scale commercial enterprises, rendering them unsuitable for the specific needs and constraints faced by smallholder farmers. In response to this gap, we have introduced a cost-effective, customizable, scalable, and dependable IoT platform tailored expressly for smallholder farmers. This platform empowers them to visualize, monitor, and control real-time data pertaining to their crops, livestock, and other agricultural assets. To ascertain the efficacy and suitability of our proposed platform, we conducted a comparative analysis with existing counterparts such as Blynk IoT and ThingSpeak IoT, evaluating their respective features and application services against standard requirements. Additionally, we subjected our platform to rigorous server load testing, assessing crucial performance parameters including throughput, response time, user capacity, and data sampling rates. Over an observation period spanning an average of 339 days, our platform successfully processed and stored a substantial volume of data, encompassing 817,633 sensor messages, averaging 2412 messages per day, with a cumulative storage size of 14,238.28 KB. Extrapolating from these results, it is noteworthy that an A0 instance with 20 GB of cloud space can adequately accommodate 200 users at a rate of 100 MB per user, which is adequate for the smallholder needs. Furthermore, the purposed platform was deployed inside a polyhouse to perform off-season grafting of citrus plants. The achieved success rate of 84% closely approached the success rate of 90–95% observed during on-season grafting. These empirical findings, coupled with the extensive data gathered during our research, underscore the reliability and performance of our proposed IoT platform for smallholder farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an environmental friendly nonwoven geotextile with good heavy metal adsorption properties and beneficial promotion of plant cultivation to potentially replace the riverbank soil or cover on the shoreline surface to rebuild up a healthy ecosystem. In this paper, waste fibers were adopted and carded into even fiber web, followed by needle-punching technology with several layers of fiber web to strengthen the plant medium with satisfying mechanical properties. Then, the grafting modification was conducted on the needle-punched nonwoven geotextiles and the optimum combination of grafting factors were obtained via orthogonal experiments. The tensile, heavy metal adsorption and plant cultivation performances of modified and untreated plant medium were systematically compared and analyzed by infrared absorption spectrum, SEM, XRD, TG, ICP-OES, universal material testing machine, and contact angle tester. The results showed that β-cyclodextrin was well grafted on the substrate. The orthogonal experiments results showed that the best combination of Pb2+ and Cu2+ adsorption was 4% sodium hydroxide (NaOH), 2% β-cyclodextrin, 170 °C heating temperature, and 50 min heating. The adsorption effects of Pb2+ and Cu2+ were 14.32 mg/g and 38.99 mg/g, respectively. The grafted fabric was hydrophilic and a more suitable culture medium for plants. These results provide not only a novel solution for reuse of recycled fibers but also a feasible strategy to construct a new water ecosystem. [Display omitted] • The nonwoven geotextile was made by recycled textile fibers by needle-punched method. • The nonwoven geotextile has good absorption of heavy metal ions after grafting. • The nonwoven geotextile can support and ensure the growth of plants on the coastal zone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grafting with pumpkin as rootstock could improve chilling tolerance of cucumber; however, the underlying mechanism of grafting-induced chilling tolerance remains unclear. Here, we analyzed the difference of physiological and transcriptional level between own-rooted (Cs/Cs) and hetero-grafted (Cs/Cm) cucumber seedlings under chilling stress. The results showed that grafting with pumpkin significantly alleviated the chilling injury as evidenced by slightly symptoms, lower contents of electrolyte leakage (EL), malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and superoxide anion (O2-) and higher relative water content in Cs/Cm seedlings compared with Cs/Cs seedlings under chilling stress. RNA-seq data showed that grafting induced more DGEs at 8 °C/5 °C compared with 25 °C/18 °C. In accordance with the increase of the activities of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, POD, CAT, APX), grafting upregulated the expression of the regulated redox-related genes such as GST, SOD, and APX. Moreover, grafting increased the expression of genes participated in central carbon metabolism to promote the conversion and decomposition of sugar, which provided more energy for the growth of Cs/Cm seedlings under chilling stress. In addition, grafting regulated the genes involved in the intracellular signal transduction pathways such as calcium signal (CAML, CML, and CDPK) and inositol phospholipid signal (PLC), as well as changed the gene expression of plant hormone signal transduction pathways (ARF, GAI, ABF, and PYR/PYL). These results provide a physiological and transcriptional basis for the molecular mechanism of grafting-induced chilling tolerance of cucumber seedlings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibody fragments without the Fc region are attracting attention in the pharmaceutical industry due to their high ability to penetrate solid tissues, cost-effective expression using microbial expression systems, and distinctive modes of action compared to those of full-size antibodies. Based on these characteristics, several antibody fragment agents have been approved. However, developing platform engineering methodologies to accelerate their development is important. In this review, we summarize and discuss protein engineering strategies for preparing therapeutic antibody fragments composed of antibody variable domains. Three (introduction of high-solubility tag systems, complementarity-determining region grafting, and domain arrangements) and two (introduction of purification tag systems and mutagenesis studies for protein L- or protein A-binding) protein engineering strategies have been reported for the cultivation and purification processes, respectively. Fusion tags might negatively impact molecular folding, function, immunogenicity, and final yield. If the production behavior of antibody fragments is not improved through complementarity-determining region grafting, domain arrangements, or human sequence-based mutagenesis, using additional fusion tag systems should be considered, with careful attention to the points described above. This summarized knowledge regarding protein engineering strategies for effectively producing antibody fragments will further accelerate therapeutic antibody fragment development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite studies associating Fusarium spp. with grapevine decline since late 1970s, no consensus has been reached regarding the roles these fungi play in grapevine health. Recent studies in British Columbia, Canada, assessed prevalence of grapevine trunk diseases (GTDs) in young and mature vineyards, and the presence of GTD fungi in ready-to-plant nursery material sold in Canada. This study characterized the Fusarium spp. isolated from grapevines in BC by sequencing part of the translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF1) gene, and carried out pathogenicity studies to determine whether Fusarium plays a role in grapevine decline. Fusarium spp. were isolated from 9.8% of samples collected from young vines (≤ 8-year-old), and 7.3% from mature vines (> 8-year-old), showing decline symptoms in commercial vineyards. Fusarium was also isolated from 43.9% of ready-to-plant dormant grapevines analyzed from four nurseries. Fusarium incidence varied between plants within the same nursery and between plants from the different nurseries. DNA sequences of TEF1 allowed identification of Fusarium oxysporum, F. proliferatum, F. ramigenum, and a Fusarium sp. Pathogenicity studies were conducted in 1-year-old dormant rooted ‘Chardonnay’ plants grafted onto ‘3309C’ rootstock, and treatments included: i) whole plant, ii) trimming of roots, iii) cut at rootstock basal ends, and iv) trimming of roots plus cut at rootstock basal ends. Plants were inoculated using standardized methods, and were then planted in a greenhouse. Fusarium was compared with Dactylonectria macrodidyma, D. pauciseptata and Ilyonectria liriodendri used as positive controls. The Fusarium spp. caused necroses in rootstock roots and basal ends that were similar to those caused by blackfoot fungi. Fusarium spp. and black-foot fungi reduced root and shoot dry weights when compared with non-inoculated controls, but no statistically significant differences were recorded for most treatments. This study is the first in Canada to identify Fusarium spp. from grapevines. Though Fusarium was common in these grapevines, pathogenicity tests suggest that the identified Fusarium spp. were weakly pathogenic to ‘3309C’ rootstock grapevines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patient-derived xenograft (PDX) is an emerging tool established in immunodeficient vertebrate models to assess individualized treatments for cancer patients. Current xenograft models are deficient in adaptive immune systems. However, the precise role of the innate immunity in the xenograft models is unknown. With conserved signaling pathways and established genetic tools, Drosophila has contributed to the understanding of the mechanism of tumor growth as well as tumor–host interactions for decades, making it a promising candidate model for studying whether or not the hosts' innate immunity can accommodate transplanted human tumor cells. Here we show initial observations that assess the behavior and impact of several human tumor cell lines when transplanted into Drosophila. We found that some injected cell lines persisted for a longer duration and reduced hosts' lifespan. In particular, the human lung cancer cell line A549 were observed adjacent to the fly host tissues. We examined two factors that affect the survivability of cancer cells: (1) the optimal temperature of each cell line and (2) the innate immunity of Drosophila hosts. Especially, transplanted human tumor cells survived longer in immunodeficient flies, suggesting that the host innate immune system impedes the growth of xenografted cells. Our attempts for xenografting fly models thus provide necessary steps to overcome for establishing PDX cancer models using invertebrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study was conducted to determine the mineral nutrients concentration in the index leaf of pummelo accessions. Index leaf samples from 25 pummelo accessions grafted on pummelo and 12 pummelo clones grafted on Rangpur lime rootstocks were collected for assessing leaf mineral nutrient status. The results revealed that pummelo plants grafted on pummelo, the concentration of leaf N (1.43-2.49 %), P (0.17-0.22 %), K (0.75-4.45 %), Ca (2.37-6.29 %), Mg (0.60-1.04 %), S (0.06-0.22 %), Fe (124-245.45 mg kg-1), Mn (9.85-50.05 mg kg-1), Zn (17-69 mg kg-1) and Cu (8.8-25.15 mg kg-1) showed significant variation with different accessions. Out of 25 pummelo accessions, twenty-four accessions were deficient in N and S, fourteen were deficient in K, four were deficient in Mn and five were deficient in Zn and all accessions were sufficient in P, Ca, Mg, Fe and Cu. The observed trends in the leaf nutrient concentration of pummelo accessions clearly indicated the significance of the genotypic variation when chemical analysis is used for diagnosing the leaf nutrient status of pummelo trees. Similarly, leaf N, P, K, Ca, Mn, Cu and Zn varied significantly among twelve pummelo clones grafted on Rangpur lime. Among the clones grafted on Rangpur lime, 18-3 and 18-5 found to have higher and lower leaf nutrient content in most of the mineral nutrients, respectively. The leaf nutrient content of pummelo varies among genotypes, but there is no genotype that stands out in all macro and micronutrients evaluated. The N, P, K, Ca, S, Fe, Mn and Cu leaf contents in pummelo were always higher in plants grafted on Rangpur lime. However, the foliar Mg and Zn contents were continually higher in plants grafted on ‘pummelo’ compared to Rangpur lime which eventually reduces leaf yellowing/chlorosis in pummelo. Pummelo rootstocks were found to respond well in terms of Mg and Zn nutrient uptake and tolerance to Phytophthora as compared to Rangpur lime. Therefore, it is concluded that pummelo can be an ideal rootstock for commercial pummelo cultivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, ploidy levels were determined by stomatal observations and flow cytometry analysis of plants polyploidised by the application of 0.05% colchicine to seedlings at the first true leaf stage. In the study of developing polyploid watermelon rootstocks, the survival rate of the plants was 77%, and the polyploidisation rates were 11% and 3% according to stomatal observations and flow cytometry analysis, respectively. According to the results of flow cytometry, 22 polyploid genotypes were determined. Auto- (12) and allotetraploids (10) of Citrullus genotypes were developed, and their plant growth performance was determined in hydroponic culture in comparison with diploids, commercial rootstocks (RS841, 'Argentario') and watermelon cultivar ('Crimson Tide'). Putative tetraploids and their diploid controls were grown in hydroponic culture for 21 days, and their vegetative growth performances were determined. The results showed that the increases in plant biomass depending on polyploidisation were 100% in autotetraploids and 156% in allotetraploids as compared to diploid controls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobilized peripheral blood is increasingly used instead of bone marrow as a source of autologous hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells for ex vivo gene therapy. Here, we present an unplanned exploratory analysis evaluating the hematopoietic reconstitution kinetics, engraftment and clonality in 13 pediatric Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome patients treated with autologous lentiviral-vector transduced hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells derived from mobilized peripheral blood (n = 7), bone marrow (n = 5) or the combination of the two sources (n = 1). 8 out of 13 gene therapy patients were enrolled in an open-label, non-randomized, phase 1/2 clinical study (NCT01515462) and the remaining 5 patients were treated under expanded access programs. Although mobilized peripheral blood- and bone marrow- hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells display similar capability of being gene-corrected, maintaining the engineered grafts up to 3 years after gene therapy, mobilized peripheral blood-gene therapy group shows faster neutrophil and platelet recovery, higher number of engrafted clones and increased gene correction in the myeloid lineage which correlate with higher amount of primitive and myeloid progenitors contained in hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells derived from mobilized peripheral blood. In vitro differentiation and transplantation studies in mice confirm that primitive hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells from both sources have comparable engraftment and multilineage differentiation potential. Altogether, our analyses reveal that the differential behavior after gene therapy of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells derived from either bone marrow or mobilized peripheral blood is mainly due to the distinct cell composition rather than functional differences of the infused cell products, providing new frames of references for clinical interpretation of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell transplantation outcome. Scala et al. show that mobilized peripheral blood hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells are more enriched in repopulating stem cells than bone marrow. Moreover, the quantity and type of infused subsets correlated with gene therapy outcome in humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although a substantial body of evidence suggests that large and old trees have reduced metabolic levels, the search for the causes behind this observation has proved elusive. The strong coupling between age and size, commonly encountered in the field, precludes the isolation of the potential causes. We used standard propagation techniques (grafting and air‐layering) to decouple the effects of size from those of age in affecting leaf structure, biochemistry and physiology of two broadleaved trees, Acer pseudoplatanus (a diffuse‐porous species) and Fraxinus excelsior (a ring‐porous species). The first year after establishment of the propagated plants, some of the measurements suggested the presence of age‐related declines in metabolism, while other measurements either did not show any difference or suggested variability across treatments not associated with either age or size. During the second year after establishment, only one of the measured properties (specific leaf area) continued to show some evidence of an age‐mediated decline (although much reduced compared to the field), whereas, for some properties (particularly for F. excelsior), even the opposite trend of age‐related increases was apparent. We concluded that (1) our plants suffered from grafting shock during year 1 and they gradually recovered during year 2; (2) the results over 2 years do not support the statement that age directly mediates ageing in either species but instead suggest that size directly mediates ageing processes; and (3) neither shoots nor roots of A. pseudoplatanus showed any evidence of senescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grafting is a traditional horticultural technique that makes use of plant wound healing mechanisms to join two different genotypes together to form one plant. In many agricultural systems, grafting with rootstocks controls the vigour of the scion and/or provides tolerance to deleterious soil conditions such as the presence of soil pests or pathogens or limited or excessive water or mineral nutrient supply. Much of our knowledge about the limits to grafting different genotypes together comes from empirical knowledge of horticulturalists. Until recently, researchers believed that grafting monocotyledonous plants was impossible, because they lack a vascular cambium, and that graft compatibility between different scion/rootstock combinations was restricted to closely related genotypes. Recent studies have overturned these ideas and open up the possibility of new research directions and applications for grafting in agriculture. The objective of this review is to describe and assess these recent advances in the field of grafting and, in particular, the molecular mechanisms underlining graft union formation and graft compatibility between different genotypes. The challenges of characterizing the different stages of graft union formation and phenotyping graft compatibility are examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plants exude secondary metabolites from the roots to shape the composition and function of their microbiome. Many of these compounds are known for their anti-microbial activities and play a role in plant immunity, such as the indole-derived phytoalexin camalexin. Here we studied the dynamics of camalexin synthesis and exudation upon interaction of Arabidopsis thaliana with the plant growth promoting bacteria Pseudomonas sp. CH267 or the bacterial pathogen Burkholderia glumae PG1. We show that while camalexin accumulation and exudation is more rapidly but transiently induced upon interaction with the growth promoting bacteria, the pathogen induces higher and more stable camalexin levels. By combination of experiments with cut shoots and roots, and grafting of wild-type plants with mutants in camalexin synthesis, we showed that while camalexin can be produced and released by both organs, in intact plants exuded camalexin originates in the shoots. We also reveal that the root specific CYP71A27 protein specifically affects the outcome of the interaction with the plant growth promoting bacteria and that its transcript levels are controlled by a shoot derived signal. In conclusion, camalexin synthesis seems to be controlled on a whole plant level and is coordinated between the shoots and the roots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interspecific grafting is limited by graft-incompatibility but regeneration of hybrid plants from grafting of genetically distinct scions and rootstocks has been reported in tobaccos. Here we report the regeneration of a hybrid plant via grafting between cross-incompatible sorghum and maize. By grafting maize and sorghum plants and regenerating hybrid from the graft junction in selection media, we generated a plant that was phenotypically a hybrid between sorghum and maize, i.e., the hybrid produced a seed-bearing "ear" toward the top of the stalk. To our knowledge, this is the first report of successful hybrid from grafting between two monocot plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L., cv. "Nina Z") plants grafted onto squash (Cucurbita maxima, cv. "Yu Yu Ikki") were grown in a greenhouse using the newly developed nutrient film technique (NFT) hydroponic system "Kappa land" (Mitsubishi aqua solutions Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan), from February to June 2022. The growth and development of cucumbers were examined under two different training methods: Lowering training (LT) and Pinching training (PT). Data collected were related to water and nutrient consumption, plant growth and development parameters, and the workload of the main activities. The results showed that plants grown under the LT recorded significantly higher total stem length (10.9 m) and number of nodes (133). In addition, from 21 April to 19 May, the leaf area index was significantly higher in the LT treatment. The highest total yield (15.4 kg m−2) and marketable yield per unit area (13.8 kg m−2) were recorded in the LT treatment. Regarding fruit growth, the fruits took 14 and 19 days to reach the standard harvest weight in the PT and LT treatments, respectively. In addition, the fruits were more straight in the PT treatment. The water use efficiency was not significantly different between the two treatments. However, the nutrient use efficiency was significantly higher in the PT treatment because plants produced more vegetative organs in the LT treatment instead of fruits. The work for removing old leaves and harvesting fruits was simplified in the LT treatment. The LT method can be effective for the automation of old leaf removal and fruit picking by the robot in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Rootstock affected gene expressions in the scion. • mRNAs in rootstock and scion played an important role in information transfer. • The miRNAs involved in the regulation of grafting were briefly described. • DNA methylation in grafting. Grafting is an important method to improve plant yield and quality. The rootstock is vital to the scion in terms of growth and development, flowering and fruit set, and improved stress resistance. In the course of grafting, the rootstock and scion interactions and their molecular regulation mechanisms are extremely complex. This paper mainly discussed the following 7 changes happened to the plant during grafting: morphological characteristics of rootstock and scion healing, compound exchange between rootstock and scion interactions, phytohormone regulatory effects, gene expression, long-distance transport of mRNAs, mediating effects of sRNAs, and DNA methylation. It was aimed to provide a reference basis for efficient use of grafting technology to improve crop yield and quality, and to shorten crop breeding cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Roots play a crucial role in plant growth by absorbing various nutrients from soils. However, the gene expression in the lateral root regermination of pumpkin rootstocks by double-root-cutting grafting remains unclear. In this study, transcriptome sequencing was performed to analyze the nutrient uptake, hormones, and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) during the lateral root formation of rootstocks (F5, F1, and DM) after grafting with watermelon. Results showed that the ability of root regermination varied in the three rootstocks. F1 had the highest root length, whereas DM had the shortest roots after cutting the main roots, suggesting that F1 had the best capacity to form lateral roots. An increased trend of nutrient uptake (N, Mg2+, and K) was observed. However, the P content decreased after root cutting in the three rootstocks. Meanwhile, grafted watermelon plants exhibited different abilities to adsorb nutrient elements with the three rootstocks. Three hormones (indole acetic acid, salicylic acid, and jasmonic acid) were involved in root development, and the highest amounts of salicylic acid were observed. The most significant metabolic pathways involved the mechanisms of signal transduction, secondary metabolite biosynthesis, carbohydrate transport, and cell wall biogenesis. DEGs were also related to the functions of the membrane and response to organic substances, chitin, and wounding. Our results provide a new understanding of root regermination and elucidate a potential gene expression for the regulation and improvement of the root system in grafted plants with pumpkin rootstocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xinhui chenpi (XHCP), the sun‐dried peel of the mandarin orange, Citrus reticulata "Chachi," is the most famous crude drug, as well as a traditional seasoning in Chinese cooking. The main cultivation methods of XHCP are cutting and grafting, but it is generally considered that the quality of XHCP after cutting is superior to that obtained from plants propagated by graftings, which had a negative impact on the marketing of the finished product. In our study, a total of 25 samples of XHCP obtained from plants cultivated by either traditional methods (i.e., from cuttings) or by grafting were collected to compare the contents of four types of metabolites (essential oils, flavonoids, synephrine, and total polysaccharides) as well as antioxidant activity. The results revealed that the quality of XHCP did not decline after cutting, and marked individual differences between XHCP samples, even when prepared from plants grown in the same way. In general, grafting had no significant effect on the most essential oils components, total polysaccharides, synephrine, total flavonoids, total polymethoxylated flavones, hesperidin, nobiletin, tangeretin content, and antioxidant activity. Nevertheless, five volatile compounds can be used as potential chemical markers (p < 0.05) to distinguish between cutting XHCP and grafted XHCP, while four volatile compounds showed high content in grafted XHCP. Our study is expected to provide a theoretical basis for XHCP breeding and cultivation, and thereby further standardize the market of XHCP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is a serious global problem of salinization of arable land, causing large reduction in world food production. Use of plant hormones is an effective way to reduce damage caused to crops and salt stress. Results: In this study, PEI-EDA was modified with AM-zein and grafted with plant hormone SA (AM-zein-SA) and used as a nano-pesticide carrier to load emamectin benzoate (EB). The use of AM-zein-SA as a nano-pesticide carrier could reduce the damage caused by salt stress to crops. The structure of AM-zein-SA was characterized by FTIR, UV, fluorescence, Raman, and 1H NMR spectroscopic techniques. AM-zein-SA could effectively improve the resistance of EB to ultraviolet radiations, resistance of cucumber to salt stress, and the absorption of EB by plants. The experimental results showed that AM-zein-SA could effectively improve the anti-UV property of EB by 0.88 fold. When treated with 120 mmol NaCl, the germination rate of cucumber seeds under salt stress increased by 0.93 fold in presence of 6.25 mg/L carrier concentration. The POD and SOD activities increased by 0.50 and 1.21 fold, whereas the content of MDA decreased by 0.23 fold. In conclusion, AM-zein-SA nano-pesticide carrier could be used to improve the salt resistance of crops and the adhesion of pesticides to leaves. Conclusion: AM-zein-SA, without undergoing any changes in its insecticidal activity, could simultaneously improve the salt stress resistance and salt stress germination rate of cucumber, reduce growth inhibition due to stress under high-concentration salt, and had a good effect on crops. In addition, EB@AM-zein-SA obviously improved the upward transmission rate of EB, as compared with EB. In this study, SA was grafted onto zein-based nano-pesticide carrier, which provided a green strategy to control plant diseases, insects, and pests while reducing salt stress on crops in saline-alkali soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista FAVE is the property of Universidad Nacional del Litoral and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a dopaminergic neuron-related neurodegenerative illness. Treatments exist that alleviate symptoms but have a variety of negative effects. Recent research has revealed that oxidative stress, along with neuroinflammation, is a major factor in the course of this disease. Therefore, the aim of our study was to observe for the first time the effects of a natural compound such as Actaea racemosa L. rhizome in an in vivo model of PD induced by neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP). For the study, mice received four injections of MPTP (20 mg/kg) for the induction of PD. Starting 24 h after the first administration of MPTP we treated mice with Actaea racemosa L. rhizome (100 mg/kg) daily for seven days. Our findings clearly demonstrated that Actaea racemosa L. rhizome treatment decreases oxidative stress by activating redox balance enzymes such as Nrf2/HO-1. We also demonstrated that Actaea racemosa L. rhizome is capable of modulating inflammatory indicators involved in PD, such as IκB-α, NF-κB, GFAP and Iba1, thus reducing the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons and motor and non-motor alterations. To summarize, Actaea racemosa L. rhizome, which is subject to fewer regulations than traditional medications, could be used as a dietary supplement to improve patients' brain health and could be a promising nutraceutical choice to slow the course and symptoms of PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Donor derived regulatory T lymphocytes and the JAK1/2 kinase inhibitor ruxolitinib are currently being evaluated as therapeutic options in the treatment of chronic graft versus host disease (cGvHD). In this work, we aimed to determine if the combined use of both agents can exert a synergistic effect in the treatment of GvHD. For this purpose, we studied the effect of this combination both in vitro and in a GvHD mouse model. Our results show that ruxolitinib favors the ratio of thymic regulatory T cells to conventional T cells in culture, without affecting the suppressive capacity of these Treg. The combination of ruxolitinib with Treg showed a higher efficacy as compared to each single treatment alone in our GvHD mouse model in terms of GvHD incidence, severity and survival without hampering graft versus leukemia effect. This beneficial effect correlated with the detection in the bone marrow of recipient mice of the infused donor allogeneic Treg after the adoptive transfer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Commission requested the EFSA Panel on Plant Health to prepare and deliver risk assessments for commodities listed in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/2019 as 'High risk plants, plant products and other objects'. This Scientific Opinion covers plant health risks posed by evergreen 3‐ to 20‐year‐old topiary plants of Ligustrum delavayanum grafted on L. japonicum in pots imported from the UK, taking into account the available scientific information, including the technical information provided by the UK. All pests associated with the commodity were evaluated against specific criteria for their relevance for this Scientific Opinion. One EU quarantine pest (Scirtothrips dorsalis), one EU protected zone quarantine pest [(Bemisia tabaci (European populations)] and two EU non‐regulated pests (Diaprepes abbreviatus and Epiphyas postvittana) fulfilled all relevant criteria and were selected for further evaluation. For the selected pests, the risk mitigation measures described in the technical dossier from the UK were evaluated taking into account the possible limiting factors. For these pests, an expert judgement is given on the likelihood of pest freedom taking into consideration the risk mitigation measures acting on the pest, including uncertainties associated with the assessment. While the estimated degree of pest freedom varied among pests, E. postvittana was the pest most frequently expected on the commodity. The Expert Knowledge Elicitation indicated, with 95% certainty, that 9,724 or more living sculptures per 10,000 would be free from E. postvittana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Excessive application of N fertilizer can inhibit plant growth, reduce N-use efficiency (NUE) and lead to production reduction. Watermelon is an important crop that often restricted by inappropriate N supply. The study aims to test whether grafting with bottle gourd rootstock can improve the NUE and growth performance of watermelon under reduced nitrate application and to clarify the underlying mechanism. Methods: Grafted (self-grafted and rootstock-grafted watermelon) and ungrafted (watermelon and bottle gourd) seedlings were treated separately with 9 mM (control) and 4 mM (reduced-nitrate) N concentrations for 18 days under hydroponic conditions. Results: The growth and NUE of bottle gourd rootstock-grafted watermelon seedlings increased under reduced-nitrate, while decreased slightly in self-grafted seedlings compared with the control. Rootstock-grafted plants had higher root morphological traits, NO3− accumulation, NR and GS activities, photosynthesis, and NUE traits than self-grafted plants under reduced-nitrate. Reduced-nitrate treatment significantly up-regulated the expression of nitrate transporter genes NRT1.5 and NRT2.1 and N metabolizing enzyme genes NR2, NR3, NiR, GS1 and GS2 in rootstock-grafted plants. Conclusion: Under reduced-nitrate treatment, grafted watermelon can make better use of the developed rootstock roots to increase the NO3− absorption and transportation to the shoot, so as to enhance the N metabolism potential and photosynthetic capacity of scions, and finally improve plant growth and NUE. The enhanced NO3− uptake and utilization of rootstock-grafted plants were regulated at the transcriptional level. Grafting with the bottle gourd rootstock may be beneficial to the efficient production of watermelon and economic application of N fertilizer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought, one of the most severe and complex abiotic stresses, is increasingly occurring due to global climate change and adversely affects plant growth and yield. Grafting is a proven and effective tool to enhance plant drought resistance ability by regulating their physiological and molecular processes. In this review, we have summarized the current understanding, mechanisms, and perspectives of the drought stress resistance of grafted plants. Plants resist drought through adaptive changes in their root, stem, and leaf morphology and structure, stomatal closure modulation to reduce transpiration, activating osmoregulation, enhancing antioxidant systems, and regulating phytohormones and gene expression changes. Additionally, the mRNAs, miRNAs and peptides crossing the grafted healing sites also confer drought resistance. However, the interaction between phytohormones, establishment of the scion-rootstock communication through genetic materials to enhance drought resistance is becoming a hot research topic. Therefore, our review provides not only physiological evidences for selecting drought-resistant rootstocks or scions, but also a clear understanding of the potential molecular effects to enhance drought resistance using grafted plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quality control of drug products is of paramount importance in the pharmaceutical world. It ensures product safety, efficiency, and consistency. In the case of complex biomolecules such as therapeutic proteins, small variations in bioprocess parameters can induce substantial variations in terms of structure, impacting the drug product quality. Conditions for obtaining highly reproducible grafting of 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid were determined. On that basis, we developed an easy-to-use, cost effective, and timesaving biosensor based on ATR-FTIR spectroscopy able to detect immunoglobulins during their production. A germanium crystal, used as an internal reflection element (IRE) for FTIR spectroscopy, was covalently coated with immunoglobulin-binding proteins. This thereby functionalized surface could bind only immunoglobulins present in complex media such as culture media or biopharmaceutical products. The potential subsequent analysis of their structure by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy makes this biosensor a powerful tool to monitor the production of biotherapeutics and assess important critical quality attributes (CQAs) such as high-order structure and aggregation level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In distantly-related plant grafting, incompatibility often occurs between scion and rootstock, resulting in growth stagnation, and eventually graft failure. In this study, we found that an emergent structure, or the spiraling tracheary element (TE) bundles consisting of TE masses occurring at the graft interface, was extensively present in the highly incompatible interfamilial graft of Brassica napus/Portulaca oleracea (Bn/Po) and Nicotiana benthamiana/Portulaca oleracea (Nb/Po). This special structure mostly appeared in the local area near the grafting union, and the frequency and quantity of the spiraling tracheary element bundles were much higher in the scion than in the rootstock. Nevertheless, only a small portion of Arabidopsis thaliana/Portulaca oleracea (At/Po) interfamilial grafts showed a less spiraled TEs at the grafting union (usually a circular TE), which is consistent with its growth performance. This study consolidated that spiraling TE bundles were an important indicator for graft incompatibility. The possible reason for the formation of spiraling TE bundles in interfamilial grafts was discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Islet transplantation offers a long-term cure for Type 1 Diabetes (T1D), freeing patients from daily insulin injections. Therapeutic peptides have shown potential to increase the insulin output of pancreatic islets, maximizing the impact of grafted cells. The islet neogenesis-associated protein (INGAP), and its bioactive core (INGAP-P), stimulate beta-cell function and viability, offering the possibility for islet treatment prior to implant. However, dosing efficacy is limited by low circulation time and enzyme degradation. This proof-of-concept study presents the investigation of novel molecular variants of INGAP-P to find a more bioactive form. Custom-designed peptide variants of INGAP-P were synthesized and tested for their effect on the insulin secretion and gene expression of live human islets. We exposed the live islets of five donors to varying glucose concentrations with INGAP-P variants in solution. We identified four peptide variants (I9, I15Tyr, I19 and I15Cys) which displayed statistically significant enhancements over negative controls (representing a 1.6–2.8-fold increase in stimulation index). This is the first study that has assessed these INGAP-P variants in human islets. It highlights the potential for customized peptides for type 1 diabetes therapy and provides a foundation for future peptide-screening experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internal conditions and external display of grafted fruit trees are the results of rootstock effects on nutrient uptake, type and amount of rootstock inductive effects on the scion, and scion consumption. Effect of grafting combination on nutrient content, phenyl propanoid pathway enzymes and their effect on secondary metabolites production of apple leaves was investigated in two consecutive years. Two Iranian red flesh apple cultivars and 'Red delicious' cultivar grafted on M9, B9 and one red flesh apple colony rootstock of Bekran were tested in a factorial randomized complete block design. To make a noticeable difference in the amount of nutrients in samples, the treatments in the second year were fertilized. Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and calcium were measured in leaves for two years. Also PAL (Phenylalanine ammonialyase) and UFGT (UDP-glucose: flavonoid 3-O-glucosyltransferase) enzymes activity, phenolic compounds and flavonoids were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in vegetative tissues. According to results of this study, among studied rootstocks, M9 was able to accumulate and maintain high concentration of minerals in leaves. Red flesh apples are capable of production of secondary metabolites if they grafted on rootstocks with higher absorption rate. In this way, they can meet the goal of secondary metabolites production. Also, our results showed that calcium was effective in production of all phenolic and flavonoid compounds and induction of UFGT enzyme activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the in-depth research that has been conducted on nanometer biomaterials, how to use the biomass resources with high activity and low toxicity to prepare nanomaterials for biomedical applications has attracted much attention. To realize efficient and comprehensive utilization of biomass, bagasse xylan/andrographolide (BX/AD) was ued as a raw material and glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) as an esterification agent to synthesize bagasse xylan/andrographolide esterified derivative (GA-BX/AD). Then, the bagasse xylan/andrographolide grafted and esterified derivative (GA-BX/AD-g-IA) was synthesized by the graft crosslinking reactions using itaconic acid (IA) as graft monomer. The better synthesis conditions were optimized by single factor experiments, the degree of esterification substitution (DS) was 0.43, and the grafting rate (G) of the product reached 42%. The structure and properties of the product were characterized by FTIR, XRD, DTG, SEM, and 1H NMR. The results showed that the product morphology was significantly changed, and the nanoparticles were spherical with a particle size of about 100 nm. The anti-cancer activity of the product was measured. The molecular docking simulations revealed that the product had good docking activity with human glucocorticoid protein (6CFN) with a binding free energy of 14.38 kcal/mol. The MTT assay showed that the product had a strong inhibitory effect on the growth of human liver cancer cells (BEL-7407) and gastric cancer cells (MGC80-3), with inhibition ratio of 38.41 ± 5.32% and 32.69 ± 4.87%. Therefore, this nanomaterial is expected to be applied to the development and utilization of drug carriers and functional materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]